We Are Sharply Focused On Creating Long-Term Value For Stakeholders

ITC's FMCG business has been at the centre of the company’s transformation journey. But the market is not impressed, and investors believe a demerger is the only way to bring the stock out of the woods. Chairman and MD Sanjiv Puri is, however, non-committal. In a conversation with Ajita Shashidhar and Rajeev Dubey, Puri shares his strategy for the company’s next level of growth. Edited excerpts:

- Ajita Shashidhar and Rajeev Dubey

AN ENTERPRISE EXISTS FOR STAKEHOLDERS NOT FOR TODAY, BUT FOR TOMORROW. IT MUST ADD VALUE FOR THEM ON A SUSTAINED BASIS

It’s been three years since you took over as Chairman and MD of ITC. how has the journey been so far?

The overarching objective has always been to ensure sustained value creation for all stakeholders. The journey in the last three-four years has been about architecting the structural drivers for the next horizon of growth and value creation. The strategy reset that I have focused on is to ensure that the organisation remains contemporary, future-ready and one that is extremely consumer-centric and nimble. New vectors of growth have been established across segments and investments are being stepped up to structurally drive competitiveness. There has been a substantial scale-up of digital investments and enabling of agile and purposeful innovation. We have crafted a bold Sustainability 2.0 agenda to build-back better and address the challenges of climate change and the pandemic.

The last few years have seen increased focus on FMCG. what has been your vision for that business?